


Life's Sweetest Surprises

by BookewyrmeWritesFic



Series: We're All A Little Poly Here [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Arguments, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Established poly relationships, Happy Ending, M/M, Married Life, Rating May Change, Several years post-canon, Tags will be updated, fluff later, i'm so sorry victor it will get better, phichit and chris are good friends, yuuri worries a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-11-30 21:55:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11472456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookewyrmeWritesFic/pseuds/BookewyrmeWritesFic
Summary: Yuuri was honestly embarrassed at how long it took him to notice the next stage of Victor’s distress, and identify the signs of a deep depression. It took two and a half days of Victor barely leaving their bed, alternating sleeping with staring blankly at the ceiling, unwashed and barely eating or drinking before the clue dropped for Yuuri.Victor suffers a massive bout of depression, and Yuuri does his best to pull him out of it.





	1. Restless

**Author's Note:**

> Alright here we go, for all those asking if there would be any more in this series! Chapter 1 of what (should be) the last installment (though I originally meant You Still Set My Heart On Fire to be a short one-shot, so what the hell do I know). All your comments and kudos on the first two parts really inspired me. Hope you enjoy this one!
> 
> This one takes place the February following [A Question of Partners in Life](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11218977), so not quite a year later. The additional tags will be updated with each chapter, which I'll tryyyy not to take too long with updating. There will be some more smut later on, probably in next chapter, and possibly the rating will go up to E for the last chapter, but we'll see how I end up writing it. ^_^

Yuuri lowered his tablet and glanced over at his husband who had just tossed his book aside and was staring, frowning really, absently at his knees. Victor was not often prone to brooding, but after 9 years of marriage, Yuuri recognized the signs of an impending fit. 

“Everything alright, love?” 

Victor glanced up at him, smiling quickly. But it was his “press briefing smile”, the one that never quite reached his eyes, and Yuuri wasn’t fooled. “Quite alright darling. Just thinking is all.” Victor rose and stretched, preening a little under Yuuri’s admiring gaze, and gave Yuuri a bit of a more genuine smile. “I think I’ll take ChowChow out for a walk. I’m feeling a bit restless.”

“Alright dear. Don’t forget we’re due at Mimori-chan’s by five.”

Victor acknowledged this with a wave and left without speaking further. Yuuri sighed. He never knew if it was best to leave Victor alone to brood on his own, or if he was better off confronting his husband and making him talk it out. For now, he’d let Victor alone, but he supposed he’d have to get it out of him sooner or later. Before Victor went off and did something silly. Again. 

Yuuri let it go for a few days, but he was always watching his husband (alright, he watched him all the time anyway but nevermind that). He noticed how Victor became more and more brooding. He also started to train as if he were competing again. He went for increasingly long runs, danced in the studio for hours, and would get up before the sun to skate at the Ice Castle for hours. Except. He didn’t look like he was training with purpose. He looked...well Yuuri realized he looked like he was trying to escape something.

When Yuuri came to this realization on the fourth day, he sat down and had a small panic attack at his desk. He’d come a long way from the mess in the bathroom at his first Grand Prix, but that just meant better coping strategies. So, he let his panicked thoughts of _maybe Victor is trying to escape me_ and _that’s probably why he’s stopped talking to me. He wants to leave and doesn’t know how to tell me,_ flow through his head and then concentrated on breathing normally, blanking his mind for a bit. Finally, he injected some positive thoughts. _He didn’t seem like he was trying to escape last night while we were having sex._ This tried to spiral into _maybe he’s only keeping me for my body_ but Yuuri stepped on it quickly. He knew that wasn’t true, none of it was true. And he was distracted by a thought. Sex, in fact, seemed like the only time Victor came back to himself and focused fully on Yuuri again. He really _looked_ at Yuuri, and lavished his usual attention, praise, and caresses on him. 

Yuuri frowned thoughtfully. Perhaps he ought to put it to the test. See if he could bring Victor back to himself a bit again. Yuuri smirked a little to himself. He never really needed an excuse to seduce Victor, but it could still be fun to have a reason sometimes. That night, when Victor finally returned for a late dinner after a long afternoon run, Yuuri met him at the door with a kiss. Not their usual greeting peck on his chilled lips, but a deep, sensuous, passionate kiss full of tongues and teeth and hands fisted in snow-damp hair. Victor stiffened at first, probably surprised, then melted enthusiastically into the embrace, kissing Yuuri back with due attention. Victor’s arm went around Yuuri’s waist, pulling him even closer, and his other hand trailed lightly up Yuuri’s neck to cup his jaw. Yuuri shivered slightly and lost track of time for a moment, lost in his husband’s lips. Even after so many years of marriage, each kiss was it’s own special miracle. Eventually they both pulled back just enough to get their breath. They stood in the entry, foreheads pressed together, breath coming in short pants, and just looked at each other for a few minutes.

Victor spoke at last, blue eyes filled with love. “Hi. That was...unexpected.”

Yuuri smiled softly. “What, can’t I greet my own husband at the door with a passionate kiss once in a while?”

“Please, by all means, feel free to kiss me like that whenever you feel like it!” Victor was grinning now.

Yuuri disengaged himself reluctantly, lightly smacking Victor’s shoulder. “Shameless. Come on, dinner’s ready.”

Victor whined a bit as Yuuri pulled him toward the dining room, where their food waited for them, but he went. They had to release each other’s hands in order to eat, but they both sat on the same side of the table, snuggled under the kotatsu, thighs pressing together and shoulders occasionally bumping. Yuuri took every opportunity during the meal to touch Victor; on his thigh, cheek, hand, even once stealing a ginger-flavored kiss. Every touch seemed to bring Victor back from someplace else. Yuuri’s watchful eyes noted the little starts, the way Victor’s eating stopped being mechanical for a moment, they way he smiled fondly at Yuuri each time. But between each touch, Victor drifted off again.

Yuuri pushed his bowl away, and leaned back on the tatami, supporting himself on his hands. He thought about gathering the dishes and taking them to the kitchen. And then he thought about kissing Victor some more. Kissing won out. Just as Victor pushed his own bowl away, Yuuri gently pulled Victor’s head around and began kissing him in earnest. Somehow, they ended up sprawled on the tatami, with Yuuri straddling Victor. 

Fuck the dishes. They could deal with them later.

“Yura,” Victor groaned a bit as Yuuri ground his hips down. Yuuri was pleased to note they were both quite hard. Good. “Yuuuri. What...we can’t...in the dining room?”

“Mmm. Anywhere. Everywhere.” Yuuri returned to kissing Victor’s neck, interspersing each gentle kiss with a gentle bite that had Victor arching into him. He tasted like salt, and sunshine, and home. 

Victor moaned underneath him again. “Aah, we should...I should...bed? Shower? Both? Now?”

Yuuri sat up and grinned down at his husband. “Sure, shower first. I could use one too. Then bed.”

Yuuri was already stripping off his shirt as he got off of Victor. Victor stared at him almost dazed for a moment, then scrambled up, shoving his workout pants over his hips as he hopped enthusiastically after Yuuri towards the bathroom. 

~

The next morning Yuuri woke up with a pleasantly lethargic feeling of having fucked and been fucked within an inch of his life the night before. He reached out, eyes still closed, rolling toward Victor’s side of the bed.

It was cold and empty, starting Yuuri into full wakefulness to listen. No sound except ChowChow scratching at his crate. Victor had left then. Yuuri flopped onto his back again with a groan. Alright. So sex wouldn’t fix this, except in the moment. But after, Victor was still apparently trying to kill himself with exercise. This couldn’t go on any longer. Victor was in excellent shape for a man nearing forty, but this pace would be hard on a younger skater in peak training, nevermind a retired one. Yuuri’s anxiety tried to throw up images of Victor with a broken leg, or ribs, or in the hospital after a heart attack, or….but Yuuri shied violently away from any thought of Victor...leaving him. He shoved the covers off and got dressed quickly. He grabbed a power-bar for breakfast on the way, pulled on his coat, hat, and scarf against the February chill, and snapped ChowChow’s leash on. Yuuri’s face was set with determination as he started walking toward the Ice Castle. Enough was enough.

It was still early enough to be before the Ice Castle officially opened, so Yuuri let himself in quietly with his key. Yuuko-chan might be around somewhere, but Yuuri didn’t look for her, thoughts focused entirely on his husband. He pulled off his outer layers and laid them across a bench by the lockers, then pulled out his skates, lacing them on quickly. He went into the rink, and stood by the boards, ChowChow following and laying at his feet obediently. Victor was deep in his skating. There was no music, just the swish of Victor’s skates over the ice. Nor did Victor appear to be practicing any particular routine. There were bits from both Victor’s and Yuuri’s routines. That was a step sequence from Stammi Vicino, and there was a jump combo with entrance from Yuuri’s gold-medal World’s short program. But there was no sense of connection or direction to Victor’s random jumps and step sequences. He was just...throwing himself around the ice without rest or letup. There was nothing of the beautiful, passionate skating Victor usually displayed. Yuuri sighed as he leaned against the boards. This was worse than he’d realized. But at least Victor wasn’t doing any Quads. He’d been explicitly forbidden from quads by their physician after the last minor injury to his knee, under threat of being kept off the ice permanently. Victor had been faithful to those instructions. He was too good of an athlete to ignore a physician. Except…

No. Yuuri covered his eyes and sighed. At least this one was a relatively simple quad toe loop. And just the one. Yuuri looked back at his husband.

Or...two. And now he was midway through a quad loop...and...damnit. _If he attempts a quad flip, I am absolutely just going to kill him._

Yuuri fumed slightly and bent down to take off his skate guards, stepping onto the ice. What in the actual hell was Victor thinking? Yuuri skated towards where Victor was now switching feverishly between different spins. The slow crunch of his blades on the ice broke Victor out of the trance he had been in, and he looked up. He stopped, and smiled at Yuuri. Yuuri noted distantly it was the media-smile again. 

“Yuuri! Come to watch me skate?”

Yuuri frowned. “Yea. Well. No. I mean-” Yuuri silently cursed his stupid inarticulate tongue and took a breath. “I came to keep an eye on you, and make sure you weren’t overdoing it.”

Victor chuckled dismissively. “Darling of course I’m not. Why would you suggest such a thing?”

Yuuri’s frown deepened and he growled a little. “I saw you doing quads Victor. That, alone, qualifies as overdoing it. Nevermind all the other shenanigans I saw you pulling before that.”

“But Yuuri, I’m a world champion many times over. I’ve been landing those quads longer than some younger skaters have been alive.” Victor’s voice had that whine he got when he was being petulant.

Yuuri sighed. “Vitya, I’m just...I’m worried ok? You’ve been exercising and skating like you’re trying to run yourself into the ground. And quads? You _know_ every quad you do is just courting disaster and...and” Yuuri skated closer, wrapping his arms around his husband’s waist. “I don’t want to be left alone on the ice without you. I want to be able to skate by your side forever, even if all we can do is go in slow circles.”

Victor had stiffened a little at first, but then he wrapped his arms around Yuuri in turn and dropped a light kiss on the top of his black hair. His voice turned more normal, soft and loving. “I promise my love, I’m fine. I’ll be fine. We’ll be skating still when we’re eighty. In circles if necessary.”  
Yuuri chuckled weakly, and looked up. “Yes we will. But not if you keep this up Vitya. I know something’s wrong, won’t you just tell me and we’ll fix it together. Please?”

Victor’s face set and he pushed Yuuri away gently. “Yuuri. I said. I’m fine. Just leave it alone, ok?”

Yuuri bit his lip, frowning stubbornly and fiercely fighting back tears. He hated arguing with Victor. They did it so rarely, and it was always distressing. But he also wasn’t going to stand back and let his beloved husband skate himself into the ground for no good reason. He grabbed Victor’s arm gently. 

“No. I’m not going to sit back and watch you self-destruct. Not now, not ever. I love you, and I will be here for you. For better or worse, whether you like it or not.”

Victor yanked his arm away, his jaw tightening. He gritted out through clenched teeth. “I said. Leave it. Just. Go home if you’re only going to bitch at me.”

Yuuri noticed through his own threatening tears that Victor’s eyes were spilling over too, despite his harsh tone. Yuuri lowered his head and clenched his jaw. “No.”

“Then just-just skate. I don’t want to-”

“No. Come home with me.” Yuuri blinked away tears and gentled his voice coaxingly. “We don’t have to talk. Just...come home. Let me--Let me take care of you.”

Victor turned away, his shoulders shaking a bit, fists clenching and unclenching at his side. At last his back relaxed, and Yuuri skated forward to lay a gentle hand on one slumped shoulder. Victor’s voice sounded defeated, even colorless. 

“Alright. Yea. Let’s-you’re right.” Victor half turned, a tiny smile tugging at his mouth, and took Yuuri’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

Yuuri nodded, raising Victor’s fingers to his mouth to kiss them in gentle forgiveness. They kept silence as they left the rink to walk back home.

~~  
Yuuri was honestly embarrassed at how long it took him to notice the next stage of Victor’s distress, and identify the signs of a deep depression. It took two and a half days of Victor barely leaving their bed, alternating sleeping with staring blankly at the ceiling, unwashed and barely eating or drinking before the clue dropped for Yuuri. Midway through the third day he walked into the bedroom, smiling slightly as he admired his husband sleeping. Even wearing wrinkled unkempt pajamas, face unshaven, and hair tangled from two days without a brush, Victor was still beautiful. Yuuri bit his lip and walked closer to lean over and kiss Victor’s rough cheek. As he got close, he wrinkled his nose. Shower first thing, for sure. But he kissed Victor anyway. 

“Vicchan. Wake up. It’s noon.”

Victor groaned and buried his face in his pillow. Yuuri frowned. Victor was a morning person, and a light sleeper. Normally. 

“Come on Vitya. You really have to get out of this bed sometime.”

Victor turned over slowly, opening one dull blue eye to stare blearily at Yuuri. “Sleeping.”

“I know love. But you’ve really got to get up. Come take a shower, and then I’ll make you some food.”

“Too tired. Na hungry,” Victor slurred.

Yuuri’s voice turned coaxing. “Come on. Come take a shower with me.” Yuuri gently kissed Victor’s nose, forehead, and eyelids. “I’ll wash your hair for you.”

Victor’s eyes opened a little more and he appeared to be considering it. Finally he nodded reluctantly. Yuuri smiled.

“Ok. You get undressed while I get the shower ready ok? Need any help standing up?”

Victor’s cheeks flushed and he looked away, but he nodded again. Yuuri pulled him gently to his feet and left him standing by the bed, swaying only slightly. Yuuri quickly walked into their master bath, ignoring the whirlpool tub in favor of the large walk-in shower. Getting the water started warming to the exact temperature he knew Victor liked, he turned back toward the bedroom, peeling off his clothes as he went. Victor was still standing by the bed, pants still on, holding his dirty shirt and staring at it with a confused look. 

“Vitya?”

Victor gestured helplessly at the shirt as if asking _what now?_

“Need help?”

Victor’s eyes overflowed a bit, but he nodded again. Slowly and gently, so gently, Yuuri took the shirt and tossed it toward the hamper with his own clothes. Then he helped Victor out of his pants and underwear, and led him by the hand toward the shower. Inside the spray was perfect, and he helped Victor over the small ledge. Inside, he made Victor sit on the wide bench which ran along one end of the shower stall. Victor sat silent, staring at loosely clasped hands in his lap. Yuuri pulled the shower-head off the wall so he could get his husband’s head properly wet, then began gently shampooing the soft silvery strands. Victor leaned forward slightly, resting his face against Yuuri’s stomach. Yuuri smiled, and continued massaging Victor’s scalp. 

After shampooing, rinsing, and conditioning his hair, Yuuri looked down at where Victor’s face still rested on him.

“Want me to wash you too? Or would you rather?”

Victor shuddered a little. His voice was a bit hoarse. “You. Please?”

Yuuri smiled and pushed Victor upright a bit, kissing him on the forehead in passing. “Of course my love.”

Yuuri got the soapy washcloth, and ran it over Victor’s body in soothing swirls and circles. Back, chest, neck, legs, crotch, feet. It was not the first time he had ever pampered Victor like this, though it might end up being the first time that didn’t end in shower sex. Then again, he didn’t think he’d seen Victor this depressed since their marriage either. 

Once out of the shower and dry, Yuuri pulled on a pair of comfortable lounge pants and wrapped Victor in his favorite fluffy robe. Leading his husband into the kitchen, he made him sit in the little breakfast nook. Yuuri started the kettle and pulled down two mugs for tea, then set a glass of cool water on the table beside Victor’s elbow.

“What can I make you to eat?”

Victor fiddled with the glass. “Not hungry.”

Yuuri frowned. “You need to eat. Even just a little.” His tone turned almost wheedling. “I can make you katsudon. Or maybe some ramen? Or blini?”

Victor shook his head at each suggestion. Yuuri tugged at his lip, thinking. 

“Ok. How about some soup?”

Victor shrugged, taking a small sip of his water, and Yuuri decided this meant assent. 

After Victor had drunk as much as Yuuri could pour into him, and eaten both some miso and a slice of bread, Yuuri let him rise and go to the living room. Yuuri joined him on the couch after a quick kitchen clean-up, and they sat in companionable silence for a while. Victor stared blankly out the window at the bright, clear winter sunshine, while Yuuri scrolled absently through instagram. At last, Victor’s low voice broke the silence.  
“Thank you Yuratchka.”

“For what?”

“For taking care of me. I don’t deserve you.”

Yuuri gathered the other man into his arms, leaning back with his husband snuggled between his knees, head on Yuuri’s chest. He smoothed Victor’s hair gently, and left soft kisses on the silver strands. 

“Don’t be silly. You know I love you, and you deserve all the care in the world. Do you feel any better?”

“Yea. A little.”

“Think you can talk about what’s wrong yet?”

Yuuri could see the way Victor’s eyelashes spread over his cheeks as his eyes flickered behind closed lids. He ran one hand up Victor’s jaw to cup his face and gently run his thumb over his husband’s cheek-bone. Victor turned slightly to kiss his palm, and Yuuri took that as a good sign, but all his husband said was “Not yet.”

“Ok.”


	2. Surprise Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH I'm so sorry this is taking so long. Partially it's because I started back to work again, so have less time to write. And partially it's because I've thought about this story so much now that I'm having trouble actually writing it now. And also it's partially because all you amazing YOI fic-writers have me so addicted I'm spending way more time reading than writing! I'm not 100% happy with this, but I really wanted to post something for you guys, so here it is.
> 
> Anyway, I want to thank Sintina for their enthusiastic support. Knowing someone was eagerly waiting for the next chapter really pushed me to finish writing it!

With much coaxing, Yuuri convinced Victor to go to the rink and skate with him. They took it easy, riding bikes instead of running, and practicing step sequences and spins without jumping. Yuuri watched Victor out of the corner of his eye, noting the way he occasionally wobbled, and his eyes still held their abstraction. After about an hour of the quiet swish of blades over the fresh ice, Yuuri skated up behind Victor and wrapped his arms around the other man’s waist where he had stopped in the middle of the rink to frown at the ice. Victor patted his hands, and turned his head to look back at Yuuri with his “media-smile” on. 

“Hey,” Yuuri pinched Victor. “It’s me. No cameras.”

Victor’s smile slid off and he nodded. “Sorry. I...sorry.”

“It’s ok.” Yuuri skated around to look Victor in the eye, cupping his face in both hands. “Are you getting tired? Do you need to go home?”

“No, I-I’m alright.”

“Victor…” Yuuri trailed off with a sigh. What could he say? There was nothing he could do to bring Victor out of this, he knew. But he hated standing by helplessly while the man who was his world suffered silently. Finally, he stood up straight and kissed Victor soundly, then smiled brightly into his startled face. “Let’s practice that piece we were trying the other day for a pair-skate. Phichit’s talking about his Ice Show again, and you know he’ll want us to pair skate.”

Victor smiled a little more genuinely down at him this time, though it still didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Whatever makes you happy love.”

_Anything to try to make you happy darling,_ Yuuri thought, but didn’t say.

_3:40p hey, you busy?_  
Phichit-kun 3:41p naw just finished lunch. what’s up bby?  
3:44p Just. Victor. I just wanted to talk.  
Phichit-kun 3:46p oh god what’s that idiot done now? did he make you cry?  
3:48p what?? No, Phichit!   
3:50p No he’s having one of his bad days. For the last week or so. And I don’t know what to do anymore.   
Phichit-kun 3:52p oh bby i’m sorry! what’s going on? did something happen?  
3:55p No I don’t think so. First he was trying to kill himself skating, and then it was a couple days of serious depression. Now he’s just so...sad. And nothing I do helps for long.   
Phichit-kun 3:56p what does his doctor say?  
4:00p He won’t go. I can barely get him to take his medication every day. Keeps complaining it makes him weak.  
Phichit-kun 4:02p oh that sounds serious. have you talked to Chris? you know he’s got lots of experience with Victor-funk.   
4:03p no  
Phichit-kun 4:04p ???  
4:08p Look, I know it’s silly. I just...Victor’s MY husband.   
4:10p That’s dumb isn’t it. If I really love him I’ll take every avenue.  
Phichit-kun 4:11p <3<3 you know Chris would do anything for you guys. ask for help bby.  
4:12p yea. <3 

“Yuuri darling, Phichit said you might call.”

Yuuri gulped. “Yea. Did he tell you about Vitya?”

“He mentioned something.” Chris’s voice was unusually serious. “Is he still trying to skate like a world champion?”

“No. I-I managed to put a stop to that. Then there were a couple of days of hiding in the bed. Now he just...drifts.” Yuuri took a deep breath. “Chris, what should I do?”  
Chris was silent for a bit, his breathing slow down the line. At last he sighed. “I don’t know. I’m sorry amour, he’s always had fits like this, and all I’ve ever been able to do is hold him through it until he works it out himself.”

Yuuri sighed, fighting back a prickle of tears. “Yea. I just…”

“Shh, I know amour. I know. Yuuri, are _you_ ok?”

“...No.”

“Merde. Yuuri…” Chris hesitated then continued. “Yuuri do you need Phichit or I to come help? You know we would. We’re here for you.”

“Oh! No, Chris I-I couldn’t...that’s not…”

_“Yuuri.”_

Yuuri gulped and fell silent. Chris was right. He did need some help and support, someone to hold him through the anxiety attacks Victor’s depression was inspiring. Someone else to help urge Victor out of bed, and to eat, to shower, to dress, to skate (at a normal pace). Suddenly an idea occurred to Yuuri, and he spoke hesitantly. 

“Chris...what if. What if we came to Bangkok? Maybe a change of scene? Might be better for Victor? I mean, if we wouldn’t be an inconvenience-”

“Oui Yuuri, of course, that’s perfect! You’re brilliant.”

Yuuri blushed, grinning a little at Chris’s enthusiasm. They settled into discussion about times and schedules, and Yuuri moved over to his desk to open his laptop and purchase tickets.

~  
Making plans with Chris is the easy part. Convincing Victor to get on the blasted plane is another matter entirely. Yuuri scowls at his beloved husband, frustrated at last.

“Victor, I already bought the tickets, Chris and Phichit are expecting us, and we are _going_ to Bangkok. Now get up, before we miss our flight.”

Victor’s pouty face was irresistible when they were engaged. After a decade of marriage, it’s charm has begun to pall. “But Yuuri, I haven’t packed. And ChowChow-”

“I packed for you. Mari is watching ChowChow, and I’ve had enough of your excuses. Get _up_.”

Victor slouched after him to the train station, pouting the whole way and refusing to carry any of the luggage. Yuuri ground his teeth and ignored his beloved so long as the man kept moving forward. Before take-off for the five hour flight to Bangkok, he texted Phichit.

_10:15a So help me if he makes it to Bangkok alive it’s going to be a miracle._  
Phichit-kun 10:17a ???  
10:19a I love him, but he’s acting like a child now. Anyway, boarding, I’ll text you when we land.  
Phichit-kun 10:19a <3 see you soon! 

Luckily for Victor’s continued good health, getting on the plane actually seemed to perk him up a bit, and he stopped pouting. Yuuri sighed and pocketed his phone, settling into his seat beside his husband. Five hours wasn’t that long of a flight, and at least there were no layovers. But sitting next to a depressed and pouting Victor the whole way would make it worse.

~  
Phichit and Chris both picked them up at the airport. Phichit and Yuuri’s reunion was genuinely delighted, with much hugging and a few discreet kisses. Victor and Chris’s was much more performatively delighted, with much hugging and loud exclamations and fake smiles (at least on Victor’s end). Yuuri watched his husband from the corner of his eye and sighed a little into Phichit’s shoulder.

“It’s ok love, we’ll sort him out. Trust Chris,” Phichit whispered into his hair. Yuuri smiled up at his friend and lover. Phichit really was the best. 

“I know. Thank you for having us.”

Phichit grinned. “Of course! We haven’t seen you in ages! We’re simply _dying_ for a proper reunion!”

“Phichiti-kun, it’s only been a few months since you were in Hasetsu!”

“I knoooow and we’ve been _dying!_ Skype is not the same _at all!_ Besides, I need your help with some costumes for the ice show, and I want Victor to help finalize the choreography for the group skate and…”

Yuuri grinned as his friend rambled on in his usual cheerful, dramatic style while they all moved through the airport and piled into Phichit’s tiny old car with the hamster stickers all over the back window. Already he was feeling a bit more relaxed, and a bit less worried. Victor was clearly enjoying himself already, at least superficially, and he and Chris were full of plans for sight-seeing and doing “touristy-shit.”

“But Chris!” Yuuri laughed, interrupting them. “You’ve been living here for almost a year, you’re hardly a tourist!”

Chris smirked at them both impartially. “But I haven’t had Victor to tour with yet. He is simply the _best_ touristy companion, and I haven’t properly explored a place until I’ve done it with him!”

Victor cooed and snuggled up to Chris, snapping his first selfie in over a week, and Yuuri laughed again, relief trickling down his spine. This was going to be a good visit. 

~~  
Once they had settled in, Chris and Victor promptly made good on their promises of “touring” Bangkok, and disappeared off to explore the night-life. Yuuri elected to stay in, and Phichit graciously offered to keep him company. They settled in with cool glasses of sweet milky tea on the couch and cheesy rom-coms on tv, preparing for a pleasant night of snuggling and gossip. 

“I hope Chris and Vitya don’t get into trouble on their own. You know Vitya doesn’t speak any Thai.” Yuuri worried at his lip with his teeth. 

Phichit kissed Yuuri’s hair reassuringly. “Chris is getting much better. I’m sure he can keep them out of too much trouble. Besides, many people speak English. They’ll be fine.” Phichit was silent a moment. “I mean. Probably.”

“Phichit!” Yuuri knew his friend was joking. But still. The two of them were so...prone to getting themselves into situations!

Phichit giggled. “Come on Yuuri, you know they’ll be fine. They’ll drag themselves home at three in the morning, drunk, exhausted, dirty, and possibly without any money or clothes but with a thrilling tale to entertain us!”

“Yes, but I’m concerned about the possibility of an international diplomatic incident,” Yuuri replied drily. But he let it drop. There were other things he wanted to discuss about Victor with Phichit. 

As if his friend could read his mind, the other man sobered up a bit. “So, any idea what’s going on with Victor right now? He seemed ok since he got here.”

“No. He won’t talk to me.” Yuuri slumped into Phichit’s arms, drawing comfort from his old friend’s warm embrace. “Chris said he’s always been like this and he just has to work it out himself. But…” Yuuri took a deep breath and wailed “we’re married! I can’t help him if he won’t talk to me! And that’s what husbands are supposed to do!”

“Sweetheart, don’t beat yourself up. Just be patient with him. You’re already doing all you can, even taking himself outside of himself, literally out of the country, to try to help him.”

Yuuri turned his face into Phichit’s warm shoulder, tucking his feet under Phichit’s solidly-muscled thigh and draping his arms around his lover’s waist. “I’m failing him.”

Phichit rubbed soothing little circles into his back and clucked his tongue gently. “No you’re not, beloved. You know you’re not.”

Yuuri let out a muffled grunt, not quite assent, and buried his nose deeper in Phichit’s shoulder, seeking after the warmly masculine scent of the Thai man, rubbing his nose along the edge of soft skin wear his loose shirt fell open at the collar. Abruptly, Yuuri didn’t want to talk about Victor anymore, or think about his anxiety or his marital woes. He lipped at Phichit’s smooth neck, and smiled when the other man’s breath hitched a little. 

“Yuuri?” Phichit sounded a bit uncertain. 

Yuuri sat back, looking his friend in the face. “I don’t want to talk about what I’m not doing for Vitya right now. I’d much rather talk about what I can do for you until our boys return.”

Yuuri channeled his most smolderingly eros look, and Phichit’s answering grin lit up his whole face. 

“Well. If that’s what you want, as a good host I can hardly refuse can I!”

Phichit’s lips tasted of sweet tea and delight, and Yuuri reveled in the feel of his smooth skin and thick coarse hair under his fingers. The differences in texture from his husband were exciting, no matter how familiar in their own way. Phichit’s breathy little moans as Yuuri nibbled delicately along his collar bone and traced exploratory fingers along the muscled stomach under his shirt were another contrast to Victor’s deeper growls. 

And then Phichit’s fingers dipped into his jeans, popping open the buttons, and exploring his hardening cock, and Yuuri focused entirely on the man there beneath him. Phichit was as deft as always, drawing Yuuri’s pleasure out and holding him just shy of orgasm for a small eternity. 

“Phichit-kun,” Yuuri groaned finally. “Please. If you don’t let me fuck that perfect ass right this minute I think I may explode!”

Phichit laughed and kissed him again, then drew him up and into the bedroom. “Well when you put it like that, how can I possibly say no darling?”

Yuuri pressed his lover down on the bed, grinding their erections together and growling a little. “You can’t, now where’s your lube?”

They were still tangled together, spent and sleepy, many hours later when Chris and Victor returned in the expected state of inebriation, dishevelment, and ridiculousness. They rather looked as if they’d found somewhere to have their own reunion too. Yuuri hoped groggily they hadn’t fucked in public. Or at least, not in front of too many people. Or at least that none of the people had had cameras.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. When I started this story, it was going to be three chapters and a short epilogue. Easy. Simple. Straightforward.
> 
> Pffft. This is less than half of the second chapter I meant to post, and there's like 3 more scenes planned than I'd meant originally, and...yea it's getting away from me. So, anyway, the boys are all together again, so there'll certainly be some fluff next chapter, and probably another sex scene I hadn't originally envisioned and...yea. I'll try to post it faster this time, I promise!

**Author's Note:**

> Poor bby Victor, depression is no fun. I actually started writing this in the middle of one of the worst anxiety/depression attacks of my life, so a lot of the characterization is coming from that. It's actually surprisingly hard for me to write depression from an outside perspective, I'm better at what it feels like inside. 
> 
> Anyway, enough sadness, next chapter will be a bit more cheerful! I meant there to be more in this one, but it got so long I figured I'd go ahead and break it up a bit more. Thank you for reading! If you want to talk to me about my fleet of YOI ships, I tumblr [here.](http://thebookewyrme.tumblr.com)


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